Atari Is Bringing A Ton Of Classic Games To Steam

Are you ready to party like it’s 1979? Announced earlier today, the Atari Vault will bring 100 classic games to Steam later this spring, complete with some spiffy new features.

According to the press release from Atari, the jam-packed Atari Vault will boast a metric ton of old-school games, including the likes of Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest and Warlords, just to name a few.

In case you were born semi-recently, we don’t want you to think that this is the video game version of the 2015 comedy classic, Pixels. Terrible jokes about terrible movies aside, this is shaping up to be the most complete Atari collection you can find in one place. There have been other compilations based on the beloved console in the past, but none have promised anywhere near this many titles crammed under one roof.

According to the announcement, you shouldn’t just expect direct ports of the classic games, either. Arriving on Steam this spring, Atari Vault will boast several modern bells and whistles, including multiplayer capabilities, online leaderboards and the like. There will also be support for the Steam Controller, for those of you who are aching for such a feature.

If you happen to be attending PAX South in like a week, then you’ll actually be able to try out Atari Vault on the showroom floor.

The press release also promises an upgraded user interface for the games, as well as improved precision control. What won’t be messed with, however, are the graphics and the original soundtracks. They want you to enjoy some new features, but not change the overall experience of these arcade classics.

While only a handful of those 100 games have been announced so far, we’d be interested in hearing what our readers hope to see added to the collection in the comments section below. With 100 games in the package, chances are looking pretty good that, so long as your game isn’t super obscure, it’ll make the cut.

Unfortunately, no price point has been announced yet, so we’ll keep you posted as soon as that information becomes available.

In a year that will likely be dominated by new games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4 and No Man’s Sky, it’s nice to see there’s still love for the classics going around. What will be really interesting to see is how many newcomers to classic gaming will take the time to dive into something like Atari Vault. Folks who are driven by nostalgia are obviously the target market here but, in an age where the youngsters seem to love trying out experiences of yesteryear, we’re curious if games like Atari Vault will find a fan base amongst all of those whippersnappers.